The present invention relates to apparatus for manipulating granular or like materials, and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for transporting seeds from a source of supply to one or more locales of germination. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for transporting seeds from a magazine to a station where discrete seeds or clusters of two or more seeds each can be inserted into discrete seed carrying devices or into larger containers for fertilized soil, fibrous material or any other material wherein the seeds are caused or allowed to germinate and sprout.
The term "seeds" is intended to embrace all kinds of seeds regardless of their size and/or shape, i.e., the seeds may but need not resemble or constitute grains. The term "locales of germination" is also intended to be interpreted in its broadest sense so as to embrace containers or devices of the type disclosed, for example, in the commonly owned copending patent application Ser. Nos. 597,521 filed Apr. 6, 1984 and 767.183 filed Aug. 19, 1985. The latter application further discloses an apparatus for making discrete rod-shaped seed carrying devices and means for inserting seeds into such devices.
Commonly owned German patent application Ser. No. P 34 29 028.1 discloses an apparatus which is designed to withdraw discrete seeds from a primary magazine and to transport the thus singularized seeds into a second magazine for storage or directly to the locale or locales of germination. The apparatus comprises a drum-shaped conveyor whose shell is provided with rows of suction ports serving to attract individual seeds on their way from the primary magazine into the second magazine or to the locale or locales of germination. The arrangement is such that each suction port which advances past the primary magazine entrains a discrete seed, and these seeds are thereupon delivered to inserting devices which implant the seeds into soil or into a substitute for soil, or deposit the seeds in the second magazine. A drawback of such apparatus is their limited versatility, i.e., the apparatus cannot be readily used to reliably transport seeds having different sizes and/or to implant, or deliver for implantation, clusters of two or more seeds each.